1966 New York Giants season
Encyclopedia
The 1966 New York Giants season was the 42nd season for the club in the National Football League
. The Giants
finished in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 1–12–1 record, the worst in franchise history.
The 1966 Giants were the worst defensive team, in terms of points allowed, in the team's history. They allowed 501 points in 14 games, or an average of 35.8 points per game. This total broke the league record for the most points given up in a season. The next most points allowed by a Giants team was 427 in the 2009 season
, which was 16 games. The Giants allowed opponents to score more than 30 points in eight of the 14 games, and gave up over 50 points three times.
On November 27, the Giants played the highest-scoring game in NFL history, losing to the Washington Redskins
, 72–41. It was the first of three straight games in which the Giants gave up more than 40 points; they allowed 49 points against the Cleveland Browns
and 47 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers
.
With the addition of the expansion Atlanta Falcons
, the NFL had 15 teams, necessitating the use of bye
weeks. The Giants were the team that received the most centrally located bye, in Week 8, thus perfectly dividing their season into two 7-game halves. They failed to take advantage of this, however, losing all seven games after the break. (In contrast, the expansion Falcons were 0–8 before they got their bye in Week 9, but 3–3 afterwards.)
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. The Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
finished in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 1–12–1 record, the worst in franchise history.
The 1966 Giants were the worst defensive team, in terms of points allowed, in the team's history. They allowed 501 points in 14 games, or an average of 35.8 points per game. This total broke the league record for the most points given up in a season. The next most points allowed by a Giants team was 427 in the 2009 season
2009 New York Giants season
The 2009 New York Giants season was the 85th season for the team in the National Football League. It was the team's final season in Giants Stadium; In 2010, the Giants moved into New Meadowlands Stadium. The Giants hoped to improve upon their 12–4 record, avenge their divisional round loss to the...
, which was 16 games. The Giants allowed opponents to score more than 30 points in eight of the 14 games, and gave up over 50 points three times.
On November 27, the Giants played the highest-scoring game in NFL history, losing to the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, 72–41. It was the first of three straight games in which the Giants gave up more than 40 points; they allowed 49 points against the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and 47 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11, 1966 | at Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
T 34–34 |
| 2 | September 18, 1966 | at Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... |
L 52–7 |
| 3 | September 25, 1966 | at Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 35–17 |
| 4 | October 2, 1966 | Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 28–7 |
| 5 | October 9, 1966 | at St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 24–19 |
| 6 | October 16, 1966 | Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
W 13–10 |
| 7 | October 23, 1966 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 31–3 |
| 9 | November 6, 1966 | St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 20–17 |
| 10 | November 13, 1966 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 55–14 |
| 11 | November 20, 1966 | Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 27–16 |
| 12 | November 27, 1966 | at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
L 72–41 |
| 13 | December 4, 1966 | at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 49–40 |
| 14 | December 11, 1966 | Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
L 47–28 |
| 15 | December 18, 1966 | Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... |
L 17–7 |
With the addition of the expansion Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, the NFL had 15 teams, necessitating the use of bye
Bye (sports)
A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
weeks. The Giants were the team that received the most centrally located bye, in Week 8, thus perfectly dividing their season into two 7-game halves. They failed to take advantage of this, however, losing all seven games after the break. (In contrast, the expansion Falcons were 0–8 before they got their bye in Week 9, but 3–3 afterwards.)
Standings
| NFL Eastern Eastern and Western Divisions (NFL) 1933-69 The Eastern and Western Divisions of the National Football League, renamed the American and National Conferences in 1950 and then the Eastern and Western Conferences in 1953, were organized as a result of the disputed NFL championship of 1932... |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Dallas Cowboys 1966 Dallas Cowboys season The 1966 Dallas Cowboys season was the seventh for the franchise in the National Football League. It involved the 10–3–1 Cowboys qualifying for the NFL post-season for the second time in franchise history, by winning the NFL Eastern Conference title, before losing the NFL Championship Game to the... |
10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 445 | 239 | W-1 |
| Cleveland Browns 1966 Cleveland Browns season The 1966 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 17th season with the National Football League.-NFL Draft:The following were selected in the 1966 NFL Draft.-Exhibition schedule:-Regular season schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 403 | 259 | W-1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles 1966 Philadelphia Eagles season -NFL Draft:The 1966 NFL Draft and the 1966 AFL DraftThe 1966 National Football League Draft was held on November 27, 1965. It was the last draft in which the NFL and the AFL drafted their players separate of one another. As a result, many players selected by teams from both leagues would choose to... |
9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 326 | 340 | W-1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals 1966 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season The 1966 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 47th season the team was in the league, and the seventh in St. Louis. The team moved its home games from the old Busch Stadium to the new Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis, and bettered their 1965 record of 5-9, winning eight games... |
8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 264 | 265 | L-3 |
| Washington Redskins 1966 Washington Redskins season The 1966 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 6-8 record from 1965. The Washington Redskins attempted to make Vince Lombardi their new head coach, but Lombardi refused their offer and the Redskins had to settle for Otto Graham... |
7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 351 | 355 | L-1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers 1966 Pittsburgh Steelers season -Schedule:- Week 1 : New York Giants :at Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania* Game time:* Game weather:* Game attendance: 37,693* Referee:* TV announcers:Scoring Drives:... |
5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 316 | 347 | W-2 |
| Atlanta Falcons 1966 Atlanta Falcons season The 1966 Atlanta Falcons season was the Falcon's inaugural season.- Offseason :The Falcons attempted to acquire Green Bay Packers running back Jim Taylor. There were tensions in Green Bay because the Packers first round pick, Jim Grabowski would be groomed to take over for Taylor... |
3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 204 | 437 | L-1 |
| New York Giants | 1 | 12 | 1 | .077 | 263 | 501 | L-8 |